Jane Gray is the uncrowned queen of Great Britain, which is not even mentioned in many history textbooks. She ruled the country for only 9 days, and was subsequently executed by order of her own relative.
Biography: Lady Jay Childhood
Jane Gray was born into the family of the granddaughter of King Henry VII, Francis Brandon and Henry Gray (Marquis of Dorset, later the Duke of Suffolk). She was born in October 1537 in the county of Leicestershire. Jane was the firstborn. The couple dreamed of an heir, but then two more daughters were born: Katerina and Maria.
Jane was small and fragile. People noticed a strong resemblance to grandmother Maria Tudor. Jane had the exact same pretty pale face and golden curls.
As a child, Jane had the best mentors. The girl studied well and was considered one of the most educated women of that time. After the reformation by Henry VIII, the church no longer regulated the issues of education and women received the right to engage in self-education, and not just childbearing and housekeeping.
Of course, at that time it was still akin to luxury, and only aristocrats could afford self-improvement. That's just not every representative of the upper world aspired to this. Jane liked to study. She not only sang and danced, but could freely read and speak several languages: Greek, Latin, French, Italian. She studied them in her childhood. Jane later mastered Spanish, Hebrew, Hebrew, and Arabic. She enthusiastically read books in the original.
The girl gave great hopes, so her parents decided to send her to live in the court of King Henry VIII. Jane was brought up according to the strict canon of Puritanism. She rarely took part in social events.
According to the rules of succession to the throne, she was not supposed to be the queen, because Henry VIII had enough heirs. There were three potential applicants for the royal chair after his death:
- Edward VI;
- Elizabeth;
- Maria.
Therefore, no one prepared for this Jane. However, life itself was preparing Jane a big surprise.
Jane Gray's personal life
After the death of Henry VIII, the crown passed to his son, nine-year-old Edward VI. The young monarch was the same age as Jane. Her family wanted to marry them. However, nothing came of this venture.
Jane became a pawn in the dirty games of the Duke of Northumberland, who was at the head of the government under Edward VI. He led her to become the wife of his son, Lord Guildford Dudley. At that time she was barely 15 years old. The wedding was double: on the same day, Henry Herbert was also married to his younger sister, thirteen-year-old Katerina. Both suitors came from noble English families.
Their marriage lasted a little over a year. They were sentenced for treason.
The nine-day queen of England
Shortly after the wedding, the young king Edward VI, who was not even 16 years old, died. He died of tuberculosis. The duke of Northumberland, even before his death, knew that the king had serious health problems. By the spring of 1553 it became clear to him that Edward VI could not survive. For this reason, he hastily married his son. Historians agree that he then forced Jane to marry his offspring. Also, during the life of Edward VI, the Duke made sure that he removed from the testament of the succession to his half older sisters, Elizabeth and Mary. By the decision of the parliament they were recognized illegitimate.
For the first time with the Norman Conquest, there was not a single contender for the male throne. In any case, the next king of England was to become a woman. So the main heiress was Jane.
When she was announced that she became the queen, the girl lost consciousness. She never aspired to the crown, so at first she refused the throne. However, the cunning duke convinced the daughter-in-law of the opposite.
Jane was proclaimed Queen of England 4 days after the death of Edward VI, July 10, 1553. However, she stayed on the throne for only 9 days. For this reason, her name does not appear on the lists of rulers of England.
It took only nine days to the elder sister of Edward VI, Mary, to call for help from supporters and organize a rebellion against the new queen. An army and lords crossed over to her side. Only Jane and the Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Kramner remained with Jane. On the ninth day, she was left alone. When the soldiers captured the palace, his father told Jane a phrase that went down in history: “Come down, my child. You have no place here. ” She did so.
Jane and her husband were imprisoned in the Tower. They spent seven months there. The plans of the new Queen Mary did not include their execution. However, father Jane did not want to put up with this situation. He joined the rebels against Mary. Jane again tried to proclaim the queen. Then Mary had to sign a death sentence to a relative and her husband.
Death
Jane, her husband and father were executed on the same day, February 12, 1554, for treason to the queen. In a dying speech, she agreed to the charge, but refused to plead guilty. Jane also apologized for taking the royal throne.
According to eyewitnesses, when she was blindfolded, she lost orientation in space and could not find the block. Then she cried out: “What should I do? Where is she?!". A person from the crowd helped her find the chopping block. She was 17 years old. Jane became the first Protestant martyr of England.
